Elle Canada is taking a crack at shoppable media with #Shopyourmood, a series of five videos featuring clothing, shoes and accessories available at partnered retailer Hudson’s Bay.
Part of a branded content partnership with the Bay, #ShopYourMood includes executions across multiple platforms including print, tablets and social media. Elle’s creative team produced the videos, and worked with wireWax and Viewa to layer in the technology.
Each one-minute video is themed around a mood – happy, romantic, powerful, relaxed and rebellious – and features a model debuting fall fashion trends. Consumers can click on-screen dots to gain access to price and brand information, and purchase the item directly from the Bay’s site.
Noreen Flanagan, editor-in-chief at Elle, said she was inspired to create #ShopYourMood after seeing a shoppable video for stylist and designer Rachel Zoe’s jewelry collection last year.
“I remember at the time thinking, ‘Wow, that’s really innovative, that’s really forward-thinking.’ That is, to me, a real evolution in terms of what we do.”
Armed with a little “creative curiosity,” Flanagan jumped at the chance to try shoppable videos when the Bay approached Elle looking for a unique way to advertise in the digital market.
According to Flanagan, the goal of #ShopYourMood is to create a cohesive link between Elle’s mobile, print and digital platforms, and presented the magazine with a great opportunity to play with current technology.
“It’s very much like the modern shopping guide. We’ve been in the business of doing selections and identifying trends, and in the back of the book we say ‘Here’s the 1-800 number and here are the labels.’ All something like this really does is close the loop for the reader, and we can take advantage of the technology that exists today. It makes it really simple for them. They can see it, they can click it, they can buy it and they can wear it.”
Elle’s September issue features the fall fashions from the videos along with a label encouraging readers to download the free Viewa app from iTunes or Google Play, and then scan the page to watch the videos. IPhone users will also require the free wireWAX app.
Elle’s online and tablet editions will include the #ShopYourMood videos.
The videos are being promoted via a contest give-away, in-store and online promos, an in-store trend event in Calgary and on social media where readers are encouraged to share their looks and moods with #ShopYourMood.
#ShopYourMood will run until September 22.
